You Can't Make This Stuff Up

They say truth is stranger than fiction, and I have to agree. The news headlines here constantly surprise me..

82 people were shot over the holiday weekend in Chicago, of which 14 died.

Just this morning a pregnant mother of five was driving on the Dan Ryan Expressway, and was shot and killed, a year after her brother had also been killed.

A man visiting his son at Cook County Jail ended up being trapped in the room for 31 hours, and had to break the sprinkler head, before the Fire Department came, and he was finally set free. That one puzzles me. How come no one noticed he was in there? Don't they have cameras and guards to monitor them? Were the guards sleeping that entire time? What else could they miss?

Another strange one - A Chicago co-author of a book about how to survive the Running of the Bulls was gored by a bull in Pamplona.

One glimmer of good news I discovered amidst all the appalling stories. An 11-year old missing girl was found.

The list goes on. If you're like to read more about these particular stories, you can find them at this Chicago Tribune link:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/

Often I've heard that authors have a wild imagination, and much of what we write can't possibly happen. After reading these stories, I wonder.

Anyway, if you suffer from writer's block, the news is a great place to start looking for inspiration. After that, you just might become unblocked!

Find all of  Morgan Mandel's mysteries and romances
at http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

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Twitter: @Morgan Mandel